Mortality Declines for Aortic Dissection Patients

(HealthDay News) – Over the last decade, mortality rates for patients undergoing surgical repair for aortic dissection have improved, according to a study published online Oct. 21 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Purav S. Mody, MD, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues used Inpatient Medicare data (2000–2011) to determine trends in hospitalization rates for aortic dissection. Associated vital status files were used to determine mortality.

The researchers identified 32,057 initial aortic dissection hospitalizations. The overall hospitalization rate for aortic dissection (10 per 100,000 person-years) remained unchanged. The observed rate of 30-day mortality decreased from 31.8 to 25.4%, while the one-year mortality declined from 42.6 to 37.4%. The observed 30-day mortality decreased from 30.7 to 21.4% for patients undergoing surgical repair for type A dissection, and the observed one-year mortality decreased from 39.9 to 31.6%. For surgical repair of type B dissection, the 30-day mortality decreased from 24.9 to 21% and one-year mortality decreased from 36.4 to 32.5%.